Minsk (band)
Encyclopedia
Minsk is a doom metal
/post-metal
band from Peoria
, Illinois
founded in 2002. They are signed to Relapse Records
. Self described as "psychedelic metal", their songs tend to start out as slow and simple, and become heavy and complex towards the end. Their sound draws equally from sludge metal
, doom metal, hardcore punk
, ambient
and noise music
, with a highly psychedelic attitude achieved through tribal drum patterns, thick layers of synthesizers and keyboards, and echoing vocals. They are named after the capital of Belarus
, which is the town where Fival, the cartoon mouse of American Tale was born. The idea of survival through suffering is a recurring theme in the lyrics and musical style. In fact, regarding the origin of their name, their official biography states: "Drawing its nominal inspiration from a remote Belarusian city nestled deep amidst the in-betweens of the East and the West, a city that has been burned to the ground on several occasions only to be rebuilt like a Phoenix rising from its ashes." The sounds and atmospheres they evoke in their songs are complex and psychedelic
and have led many critics, and mostly the band members themselves, to describe their music as "deeply spiritual and emotional".
and Chicago. They soon produced a demo CD entitled Burning, released by Lisa Falzone Recordings around the time of a United States tour and appearance at the Templars of Doom Festival in 2004. In late 2004, Minsk was featured on the compilation If It Plays…, which consisted solely of artists in the Peoria region (hence the title
).
The band's first full-length album, Out of a Center Which Is Neither Dead nor Alive, was recorded in late 2004 and released in 2005 on At a Loss Recordings, following appearances at the South by Southwest
and Emissions from the Monolith
festivals. During the recording of the album, Drew McDowell left the band leaving them without a bassist. Sanford Parker,a big fan of Minsk and the guitarist for doom metal band Buried at Sea, who was producing the album at the time, decided to join Minsk as a full-time bassist to replace McDowell and also resumed his production work. He is still today a full time member of Minsk and a notable underground producer. Soon after Parker joined, founding member and guitarist Dustin Addis left, leaving the band to record Out of a Center Which Is Neither Dead nor Alive as a four piece, with Cristopher Bennett solely in charge of guitar duties. To support the album's release, the band embarked on a nationwide tour supporting many popular metal artists, notably Brutal Truth
, High on Fire
, Boris
, Sunn O)))
, and Pig Destroyer
.
Following the tour, Minsk prepared to record their second album, The Ritual Fires of Abandonment
, which was released February 2007 through Relapse Records who signed them immediately because of their growth in popularity and positive reception of their debut. After its release, Minsk went on another United States tour in support, reappearing at the South by Southwest and Emissions from the Monolith festivals in addition to several east coast stops. The band released their 3rd LP, With Echoes in the Movement of Stone
, on Relapse Records in 2009. According to blog on their website, as of April 2011, the band is on an extended hiatus.
???? – drums
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
/post-metal
Post-metal
Post-metal is a music genre, a mixture between the genres of post-rock and heavy metal.Hydra Head Records owner and Isis frontman Aaron Turner originally termed the genre "thinking man's metal", demonstrating that his band was trying to move away from common metal conventions...
band from Peoria
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
founded in 2002. They are signed to Relapse Records
Relapse Records
Relapse Records is an independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990.-History:The label was started by Matthew F. Jacobson in August, 1990 in his parents' basement in Aurora, Colorado...
. Self described as "psychedelic metal", their songs tend to start out as slow and simple, and become heavy and complex towards the end. Their sound draws equally from sludge metal
Sludge metal
Sludge metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that melds elements of doom metal and hardcore punk, and sometimes incorporates influences from southern rock, stoner rock and grunge. Sludge metal is typically abrasive; often featuring shouted vocals, heavily distorted instruments and sharply contrasting...
, doom metal, hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
, ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
and noise music
Noise music
Noise music is a term used to describe varieties of avant-garde music and sound art that may use elements such as cacophony, dissonance, atonality, noise, indeterminacy, and repetition in their realization. Noise music can feature distortion, various types of acoustically or electronically...
, with a highly psychedelic attitude achieved through tribal drum patterns, thick layers of synthesizers and keyboards, and echoing vocals. They are named after the capital of Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, which is the town where Fival, the cartoon mouse of American Tale was born. The idea of survival through suffering is a recurring theme in the lyrics and musical style. In fact, regarding the origin of their name, their official biography states: "Drawing its nominal inspiration from a remote Belarusian city nestled deep amidst the in-betweens of the East and the West, a city that has been burned to the ground on several occasions only to be rebuilt like a Phoenix rising from its ashes." The sounds and atmospheres they evoke in their songs are complex and psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
and have led many critics, and mostly the band members themselves, to describe their music as "deeply spiritual and emotional".
Biography
Minsk was formed in 2002 between the cities of PeoriaPeoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
and Chicago. They soon produced a demo CD entitled Burning, released by Lisa Falzone Recordings around the time of a United States tour and appearance at the Templars of Doom Festival in 2004. In late 2004, Minsk was featured on the compilation If It Plays…, which consisted solely of artists in the Peoria region (hence the title
Will it play in Peoria?
The saying, "Will it play in Peoria?" is traditionally used to ask whether a given product, person, promotional theme, or event will appeal to mainstream America, or across a broad range of demographic and psychographic groups....
).
The band's first full-length album, Out of a Center Which Is Neither Dead nor Alive, was recorded in late 2004 and released in 2005 on At a Loss Recordings, following appearances at the South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
and Emissions from the Monolith
Emissions from the Monolith
Emissions from the Monolith is an annual heavy metal festival that showcases mainly doom metal and sludge metal bands, considered to be the premiere heavy/doom/sludge metal festival in the US...
festivals. During the recording of the album, Drew McDowell left the band leaving them without a bassist. Sanford Parker,a big fan of Minsk and the guitarist for doom metal band Buried at Sea, who was producing the album at the time, decided to join Minsk as a full-time bassist to replace McDowell and also resumed his production work. He is still today a full time member of Minsk and a notable underground producer. Soon after Parker joined, founding member and guitarist Dustin Addis left, leaving the band to record Out of a Center Which Is Neither Dead nor Alive as a four piece, with Cristopher Bennett solely in charge of guitar duties. To support the album's release, the band embarked on a nationwide tour supporting many popular metal artists, notably Brutal Truth
Brutal Truth
Brutal Truth is an American grindcore band from New York City, formed by ex-Anthrax, Nuclear Assault, and Stormtroopers Of Death bass guitarist Dan Lilker in 1990. The group disbanded in 1999, but reformed in 2006 and continue to release new music.-History:...
, High on Fire
High on Fire
High on Fire is a stoner metal band from Oakland, California, that was formed in 1998. Matt Pike, the band's frontman and founder, previously played guitar for the influential stoner doom band Sleep.-History:...
, Boris
Boris (band)
is a Japanese experimental rock band, known for often combining and switching between different music genres including drone metal, sludge metal, noise rock, psychedelic rock, ambient and pop...
, Sunn O)))
Sunn O)))
Sunn O))) is an American doom metal band known for its synthesis of diverse genres including drone, ambient, noise, and black metal. Supported by a varying cast of collaborators, the band has two core members: Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson .-History:Sunn O))) is named after the Sunn...
, and Pig Destroyer
Pig Destroyer
-Biography:The band formed in 1997 with vocalist J. R. Hayes , guitarist Scott Hull , and drummer John Evans. Evans was later replaced by Brian Harvey...
.
Following the tour, Minsk prepared to record their second album, The Ritual Fires of Abandonment
The Ritual Fires of Abandonment
The Ritual Fires of Abandonment is the second full-length album by Chicago-based post-metal band Minsk. It was released in February 2007 as the band's debut on Relapse Records. Bruce Lamont, of Chicago-based band Yakuza, performed all the saxophone parts as guest musician...
, which was released February 2007 through Relapse Records who signed them immediately because of their growth in popularity and positive reception of their debut. After its release, Minsk went on another United States tour in support, reappearing at the South by Southwest and Emissions from the Monolith festivals in addition to several east coast stops. The band released their 3rd LP, With Echoes in the Movement of Stone
With Echoes in the Movement of Stone
The album received moderately good reviews, receiving praise or the stylistic range of the music, with Allmusic's Phil Freeman noting that "The band's music surges and ebbs like a massive tide, with the guitar lines moving in a linear and horizontal", and being called "a dynamic, shape-shifting...
, on Relapse Records in 2009. According to blog on their website, as of April 2011, the band is on an extended hiatus.
Studio albums
- Burning demo (Lisa Falzone Recordings)
- Out of a Center Which Is Neither Dead nor Alive (2005, At a Loss Recordings)
- The Ritual Fires of AbandonmentThe Ritual Fires of AbandonmentThe Ritual Fires of Abandonment is the second full-length album by Chicago-based post-metal band Minsk. It was released in February 2007 as the band's debut on Relapse Records. Bruce Lamont, of Chicago-based band Yakuza, performed all the saxophone parts as guest musician...
(2007, Relapse Records) - With Echoes In The Movement Of StoneWith Echoes in the Movement of StoneThe album received moderately good reviews, receiving praise or the stylistic range of the music, with Allmusic's Phil Freeman noting that "The band's music surges and ebbs like a massive tide, with the guitar lines moving in a linear and horizontal", and being called "a dynamic, shape-shifting...
(2009, Relapse Records)
Compilation appearances
- If It Plays… (2004, Thinker Thought Records) (contributed "White Wings of Death Scatter Our Days")
- For the SickFor the SickFor the Sick is the title of the various artist tribute album to one of the most influential sludge metal bands, Eyehategod. It was released through Emetic Records on March 20, 2007.-CD 1:...
tribute compilation (2007, Emetic Records) (contributed "Ruptured Heart TheoryRuptured Heart Theory"Ruptured Heart Theory" is a song by Eyehategod, released as the band's first, and currently only, single on 7" vinyl in 1994. The song was later included on their 1996 album Dopesick, and the song and both its B-sides appeared as bonus tracks on the 2006 Century Media reissue of Eyehategod's...
")
Current members
- Christopher Bennett – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals - Timothy Mead – vocals, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
- Sanford Parker – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
???? – drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Previous members
- Jeff Hyde – bass guitar
- Dustin Addis – guitar
- Anthony Couri (A.K.A. Tony Wyoming) – drums
- Drew McDowell – bass guitar
- Joel Madigan – bass guitar (live)
- Brian Barth – drums (live and on Burning demo)
- Jared Madigan - bass (live and on "Burning" demo)